I had become my father. My dad was a college dean, but when he retired he would decide what he wanted for dinner and then head off to market daily. There is one big difference between me and my father. He had lima beans with every meal. Me, I haven’t had a lima been since he died, but I do like going to the market.The good news is that the coronavirus pandemic has broken me of that habit. We are now in the mode of buying basics in bulk (Costco) for a month worth of meals and then weekly trips to the market (Kroger) for fresh vegetables, milk and eggs.
There are three keys to buying in bulk. Planning, Creativity and Flexibility
Planning
To have any chance at making buying in bulk successful you need a plan.
Rough Meal Plan
From there I created a rough shopping list:
Shopping List Outline
One key thing about buying in bulk is that you don’t get to scale your purchases to meal time needs. I have found that it makes sense to “portionalize” the bulk quantities. For example, if you buy chicken breasts at Costco they come in 2 and 3 breast units. We use one breast at a time, so just breaking down the pack and wrapping the breasts individually just makes sense. It also makes it easier to store in the freezer and defrost when needed
Creativity
One thing I hear all the time is: How do you know what to make? In a blog from awhile back I listed the top sources of menu ideas:
- Restaurants
- Travels
- Markets
- Books/Magazines
- Internet
https://impromptufridaynights.com/the-top-5-sources-of-dinner-party-menu-ideas/
Living in our current “Shelter in place” mode rules out the top 3 of the 5. Thank goodness for the internet. At times like this, we certainly have time to try something different.
Cassoulet
I have been a fan of this dish for years. I first had it in Paris, but never got around to making it. The traditional preparation is based on duck fat, duck confit, white beans, chicken and sausage or mutton. In scrounging through my cabinet and freezer I had
- A bag of dried beans my niece gave me for Christmas a few years ago
- 3 lamb chops with freezer burn
- Chicken breasts, bacon and sausage from my Costco run
Somehow, we don’t have a ready inventory of duck fat or duck confit. So I substituted bacon fat for the duck fat and away we went. It was a 2-day process as the beans had to be soaked over-night. The result was a very tasty dish. Regretfully (and subconsciously) we didn’t get a photo. While I would have liked to have one for the blog, it really didn’t look great. But, it tasted great and was enjoyed both by us and a grateful neighbor.
Back to my first Cassoulet in Paris, I ordered a bottle of white wine thinking poultry pared with white wine. The waiter very politely (and directly) told me the vin rouge was the proper paring with duck. Of course he was right.
Flexibility
When you are not going to the store every day, you will invariably have to improvise on ingredients. Who has an inventory of duck fat? Bacon fat worked fine. With the 30 different ingredients in the Cassoulet, you have to trust me that no one could tell that bacon fat was used instead of duck fat. Besides, how many of us really know what duck fat tastes like.
Costco Purchases
Kroger Purchases
Wine Purchase
Summary
The bottom line is that with a little planning, creativity and flexibility you can eat really well for a month for under $600. Beyond that this exercise provides an insight into how I think, as twisted as that may be.
If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.
